I've been behind in my weekly posts, largely because of my own confusion and shock associated with the results of the presidential election. For me, this is not about party affiliation. This is about core values -- my values, the values of my community, the values of the broader populace, and the values expressed by the country's leadership -- and these values are, at the moment, seemingly at odds.
As a designer and an educator, I dedicate my work to improving the relationship between people and the land. I seek to encourage democracy in the design process and in the way we structure and run our businesses and organizations. I explore how our interventions in the built environment affect people. And yet, I think there is more room for advocacy in my own work. How can designers advocate for human rights, for human equality, and for human health? These are my values; how can I integrate them into my design process?
A little over a month ago, the Landscape Architecture Foundation released a new declaration for the field. This document, to which many landscape architecture professionals contributed, commemorates the anniversary of a declaration written in 1966 (signed by Ian McHarg, among others) and sets the stage for contemporary practice. An excerpt from the 2016 declaration states,
"As landscape architects we vow to create places that serve the higher purpose of social and ecological justice for all peoples and all species. We vow to create places that nourish our deepest needs for communion with the natural world and with one another. We vow to serve the health and well-being of all communities. To fulfill these promises, we will work to strengthen and diversify our global capacity as a profession. We will work to cultivate a bold culture of inclusive leadership, advocacy and activism in our ranks."
This week's links (below) share a common theme: how can designers and planners contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and hospitable world for all?
I. Read
- ASLA's The Dirt: Building Community Resilience from the Ground Up
- yes! magazine: Seventeen Ways You Can Work for Social Justice
- Principles of Environmental Justice (1991)
- EPA Report (2013): Creating Equitable, Healthy, and Sustainable Communities
- Gothamist: Expressing emotion in public spaces (subway therapy in NYC)
- Designed for the Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World (book)
- Environmental justice ASLA session outline with bibliography and historical context
- LAF: Into an Era of Landscape Humanism (Gina Ford)
- NYT Magazine: Uncommon Ground: On New Urban Oases
II. Watch
- The Atlantic: Documentary: A Portait of the Tensions in Coal Country
- Best of Luck with the Wall (a film showcasing the entire length of the US/Mexico border)
- TED Talks: Talks to Help You Manage Stress (because we could all use stress relief right about now)
